Controlling mechanism for warp uniting machines



F. KLEIN Oct. 15, 1935,

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR WARP UNITING MACHINES Filed Aug. 2, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet l w w Q 3 T A E K v F. KLEIN Oct. 15, 1935.

CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR WARP UNITING MACHINES Filed Aug. 2, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 R u E 0 mm V m M Y C M F ATTORNEY F. KLEIN CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR WARBUNITING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 2, 1934 an: 'ATTQRNEY Patented Oct. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR WARP UNITING MACHINES Application August 2, 1934, Serial No. 738,088

16 Claims.

This invention relates to the operation of uniting the threads of a new or beam warp with those of an old or harness warp. In this operation as it is performed by machine if there is thread-failure on either sideas to one warp or the other-the attendant is likely to miss it until the entire operation is completed, especially if the threads are fine. Such thread-failure may be of two classes(1) where a thread on the beam side is possibly not present to be united with one on the harness side, (not likely to occur, since this warp is freshly prepared and is usually complete) or where the uniting operation fails or bythe time the composite thread formed is delivered from the uniting means its components have parted; and (2) where at the harness side, which has undergone use in the loom and is therefore likely not to be in condition, a thread or threads are missing, which frequently causes two harness threads to be united to a single beam thread, as will hereinafter appear. Of course, if a thread is missing at either side the work is likely to be continued in ignorance thereof, with the result that at the end of the operation one or more threads at one side will be without threads of the other side joined thereto, so that the Work has to be done all over.

The particular object of this invention is to provide a uniting machine of the type of that set forth in my Patent No. 1,815,849 and those therein indicated with mechanism to detect threadfailure and in the preferred form thereupon stop the machine. There are two detectors or feelersone operative to detect with respect to each thread of the beam warp and one operative to detect once for every given number of times that harness warp threads are assumed to be advanced and presented to the uniting means. The first of these, operating as stated, detects possible absence of any thread in the beam warp and also failure of threads to unite or to remain united. The second feeler acts at the interval indicated for the following reasons:

In the machines of the mentioned patents the threads are supposed to be delivered one by one from each warp since each warp has its threads held crossed or leased one for one by hook-bars having their books reversely set and being adapted to be retracted on each half-revolution to draw back the main body of threads and leave the outermost one separated. If, in the case of the old or harness warp, a single thread has been broken out, when that point is reached in this separating operation two threads will be re leased or separated out instead of one, and these two threads are likely as one to be fed to and united with a single beam thread by the uniting means. Again, if of the harness warp two adjoining threads are broken out there will then 6 of course be no possibility of two threads being separated and joined as one with a beam thread, but such two threads will be united with respective beam threads ahead of those intended as their complements, so that at the end of the 10, operation there will remain beam threads without mating harness threads to be united thereto-a condition which of course will also exist in the first case indicated.

Now if the harness threads are treated as com- 15. prising groups of the same number of threads and threads of the same ordinal in all the groups (that is, on the assumption, perhaps false, that no thread is missing and there is a true one-for-- one cross throughout) be segregated from the 20 others and if the harness feeler be made to act in time with the intended presentations of such ordinal threads, which I term index threads, for uniting with the beam threads, then should in fact a harness thread be missing or if there 25 is perhaps a false cross in the harness warp detection of thread failure may be effected by the feeler, as will appear, as to the group wherein it occurs, so that repair may be effected in that group, or before the work has proceeded too far. 30

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a uniting machine of the type known by said patents embodying the mechanism of this invention, the parts being in the state in which, an index harness thread 19 being absent, the machine is about to be stopped;

Fig. 2 is a similar elevation of a part of said mechanism illustrating how the ratchet, having been turned to its position in Fig. 1, has been released and thereupon retracted to its starting point;

Fig. 3 is a similar elevation of a portion of what is shown in Fig. 2, illustrating how the ratchet is 45 turned step by step from its starting point;

Fig. 4 is a plan of said mechanism and known portions of said machine;

Fig. 5 is a plan of the harness and warp beams, the two warps, the harness, known portions of said machine and the feelers;

Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrams; and

Figs. 8 and 9 show the feelers in side elevation in their thread-supported positions.

The parts of the uniting machine material to 55 consider are, with any frame I, levelling bars 2 for the warp a, extending from the new beam A, and for the warp b, extending through the harness shafts B from the old warp beam C which is to be replaced by beam A in the loom; a fork 3 between whose arms the two warps extend upwardly, such arms serving as guides for the warp threads as they are advancedto the uniting means; clamping means 4 for the warps and which it will be understood coacts with the beams to hold the warps taut; hook-bars 5 arranged in pairs, the members of the two pairs maintaining crossesin the respective warps and the members in each pair having reversely set hooks 5a and the pairs being adapted to be rotated a half-revolution at v a time in unison and thereupon retracted, whereby to part the body of, from the outermost thread in, each warp (substantially as in any of said patents) intermittently. acting means 6 to unite the thus segregated outermost threads of the two warps; and means, as a rotary spiral 1, to advance such outermost threads, as at x, to the uniting means. The means for causing the properly timed movements of those of the foregoing parts which are actuated is not fully shown as evident fromany of said patents; I do, however, show the rotary shaft 8 bywhich the spiral forming the advancing 'means is carried and gearing 9 by which is driven from said shaft, the driven member in the form of a shaft III which forms an essential rotary element of the means'G;

Shaft}! (herein termed the driven element) is shown provided with a friction clutch of the cone type. Its driver is a pulley ll revoluble on the shaft and adapted to receive a driving belt and I2 is a cone-clutch splined to the shaft and normally urged into'engagement with the driver by a spring I 3 between it and the frame. A fork l4, pivoted at I5, is engaged with a grooved collar of clutch-member l2 and it is ,urged by a spring l6, stronger than, spring l3, to retract member l2 from driver II and disconnect the connection between the latter and the shaft. However, the fork is normally held in the position shown (in which the connection is established) by its arm Ma being engaged with the shoulder I'Ia of a detent pawl l1 urged toward said arm by aspring l8. The fork has a pin Mb. Pivoted also at I5 is a hand-lever I9 having an arm formed with 2. lug l9a underlyingarm Ma of thefork and also having an arm lSb to engage the pin. The handlever may be used to disestablish the connection and trip the pawl, by its arm having lug l9a engaging a cam-terminus Nb of the pawl, assisted by the contact of arm I91) with the pin, or to establish the connection and cause the fork to be re-locked by the pawl by lug l9a engaging pawlarm Ma, the movement for the first purpose being anti-clockwise and for the second clockwise. Pawl' ll serves in effect as a controller for said connection, acting to that end through the detent. The automatic tripping of the pawl is effected from a lever 2|, as will now appear:

'A lever 20, comprising a rock-shaft 20a journaled in the frame and two arms 20b, has pivoted to its near arm in Fig. l the lever 2| connected with the upper arm of the pawl by a link 22. Lever system 202l-22 is gravity-depressed, but a feeler 21 to be referred to tends to raise it. Movement to the right of lever 2| will trip the pawl. At 23 is a horizontal transverse shaft driven through gearing 24 from shaft 8 and carrying a cam 26 having a pin 25a. A roller 26 on lever 2| is adapted to be. engaged by or to engage the periphery of the cam and thelevers upper end is adapted, as will appear, to be impinged by pin 25a to cause the lever to trip the pawl.

Stopping due to failure in the beam 01' new warp:-There is a feeler 21 which is a lever fulcrumed at 21a: on the frame at the far side, being 5 formed with a forward foot 21a to rest on the beam warp thread which has been separated and advanced to the uniting means and supporting at ,its'rear end lever 20 by engaging a stud 29 on the latters far arm 26?), a spring 28 tending to de- 10 press its foot end. When its foot rests on such a thread (Fig. 1) the feeler supports said lever in position to be engaged only by the high part of the cam, wherefore the cam will on each revolution lift the foot end of the feeler to permit a 15 thread to be advanced and then allow it to fall to feel for the thread (the gearing at 9 and 24 being in the ratio 1 to 1 for this purpose) but if no thread should be present under the foot when it falls the foot will descend below its normal or 20 thread-supported level and the feeler will hold the roller 26 in such position that the upper end of lever 2| will be in the path of pin 25a, which will cause tripping of the pawl and stopping of the machine, as indicated. 25 Stopping due to failure in the harness or old warp:The assumption is that the threads of each warp form a cross, maintained by the corresponding hook-bar pair 5, in which the threads cross each other one for one, i. e., each alternate 30 thread is crossed by the two directly flanking it. This assumption can substantially invariably be depended upon as to the beam warp since it has been freshly prepared and the cross or lease it then contained is preserved by the corresponding 35 hook-bar pair. But such assumption, for the reason heretofore indicated, cannot be depended on as to the harness warp. Wherefore, for example, if at any point therein a thread is missing which should be crossed both sides by two other 40: I

threads then the hook-bars, whose separating action is predicated upon all alternate threads crossing the remaining threads, allow these two other threads to pass forwardas one, and in the uniting such two other threads will usually be 45.

sented to the hook-bar lugs 511) but at the end of 55 the operation there will be beam warp threads left without mating harness threads--a fault existing also in Fig. 6, in fact. These are both misses in the sense that, whereas the uniting may be effected, the fact that threads are missing on the harness side will at least result in the threads on that side which succeed the miss or misses being united in the wrong order with threads on the beam side.

Now, according to my invention I segregate certain harness threads (herein termed index threads) at regular intervals, counting according to their intended full number, from the rest and provide detectively acting means timed to act at those times when such index threads ought to be positioned for. and undergo uniting and when so acting to be impotent to detect and/or stop the machine each time an index thread is actually so positioned but to detect and effect such stopping whenever, there having been a miss or misses, the

index thread has passed beyond such position.

The threads so chosen may be every fourth or other ordinal than the sixth herein illustrated and assumed, and it will be convenient to effect their segregation by shifting one harness shaft relatively to the others so that the threads it controls will form a shed with those controlled by the remaining shafts; in the present example, there being six shafts, every sixth thread will be segregated. The segregated threads are passed over the harness bar 2 but under one arm of fork 3, all the remaining threads being passed under both the bar and said fork-arm. Said detectively acting means is constructed as follows:

A dial 30 is revolubly adjustable around a bearing 3| on frame I, as by withdrawing a screw 32 tapped into the frame and penetrating one of the equally spaced series of holes 33 concentric with the bearing and replacing the screw so that it penetrates another hole, the holes being numbered as shown. On the stated assumptionlthat every sixth thread is to be an index thread I), the screw occupies hole No. 6. The dial has a stop 30a. A ratchet 34 is journaled on said bearing and normally urged by a spring 35, connecting it with the bearing, in the anti-clockwise direction, or until stop 34a thereon engages stop 39a; the ratchet has its teeth, equally spaced, in the same radii as the holes 33 and a peripheral notch 34b. 36 is an actuating pawl for the ratchet having a tooth 36a to engage the ratchet teeth and being pivoted to a lever 31 fulcrumed in the frame and having a roller 31a engaging the cam. A holding pawl 38 is pivoted in the frame and has a long terminal tooth 38a to engage the ratchet teeth and also enter notch 34b. The pawls are held engaged with the ratchet by a spring 39. Pawl 36 has a depending terminal cam 36b adapted, when tooth 38a has entered the notch (Fig. 1), to engage the inclined terminus of a tooth 38b of the pawl 38 to move the latter to clear tooth 38a from the notch. Pawl 38 has pivoted thereto adepending thrustbar 40 whose lower end is guided by a screw 4| on the frame penetrating a slot 42 in the thrust-bar and which normally acts to hold a feeler 43 with its foot 43a elevated above the index thread b.

Considering the operation of the parts 30 to 42 regardless of the feeler: Oscillation of lever 31 by the cam 25 causes the ratchet to be picked around by pawl 36 (at each stage held by pawl 38) from the position in which stops 39a and 34a are engaged until the notch 34b is presented to the tooth 38b, which then allows pawl 38 and hence the thrust -bar to rise under tension of spring 39. But cam 3312 which, up to this time missed the tooth 38b (see Fig. 3) on its next downstroke following that on which the tooth enters the notch engages its inclined terminus and depresses pawl 38 clear of the ratchet notch, wherefore the ratchet is tripped and is caused by spring 35 to quickly return until stop 34a encounters stop 30d. In short, so long as the machine is running the ratchet is alternately picked around and quickly returned; and it constitutes means which for alternately relatively long periods acts to hold the thrust-bar depressed and in the intervening periods of short duration permits a quick rise and fall of the thrust-bar, each rise and fall occurring when an index thread I) is presented since the ratchet receives its motion from cam 25 and that and the moving parts of the uniting mechanism are geared together, as stated, in a 1 to 1 ratio.

Now if said feeler, 43, pivoted as a lever at 43.1; at the near side of the machine, has its forward end forming a foot 43a to rest on the index threads and its rear arm provided with a stud 44 underlying the thrust-bar and extending under a lug 45 on the adjoining lever arm 201), the feeler may be held by the thrust-bar, during the long-period or depressed position of the thrust-bar, so that its foot is above the level of an index thread and so as to fall and feel for the thread during the shortperiod or elevated position of the thrust-bar. And if, when the feeler is released by the thrustbar to feel, an index thread is present the latter will prevent the feeler from actuating lever 20.

But if a thread or threads in the series to which the index thread belongs is missing so that such index thread has passed beyond the foot (as at bat, Fig. 5) when it descends to feel (in short, if the thread presented is not the actual sixth thread,

but one of an earlier ordinal) the feeler will be free to fall sufficiently to engage the lug 45 and shift lever 20 (Fig. 1, full lines) so as to effect the stopping of the machine, as already explained.

The detecting foot of each feeler is formed so as to feel for its thread somewhat anterior to the zone in which the uniting takes place-here shown roughly as between the lines a and z in Figs. 8 and 9-but such foot of the feeler 2'! is extended somewhat further than the foot of feeler 43 beyond said zone so that if parting of a composite thread formed occurs following the uniting operation detection by feeler 21 will ensue.

If the number of harness shafts is other than six the only adjustment to be made is to shift the dial so that the screw 32 enters a differently numbered hole thereof, i. e., a hole of the number corresponding to the number of the shafts. O course the index threads may be segregated, i1 desired, otherwise than by the mentioned shifting of one harness shaft.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In combination, means to support two warps, means to advance successively the threads of one warp and those of the other warp to position for uniting with each other, means to unite each thread of one warp with that of the other on their advancement, detecting means normally urged to detecting position through the path of advancement on failure of a thread of one warp to be so advanced but arranged to be held from such position by such thread if the latter is so advanced, and means to move the last-named means back through said path on each advance of the threads.

2. In combination, means to support two warps, means to advance successively the threads of one warp and those of the other warp to position for uniting with each other, means to unite each thread of one warp with that of the other on their advancement having a driven element, a constantly going driving means having a disconnective connection with said element, means, normally urged through the path of thread-advancement on failure of a thread of one warp to be so advanced, to disconnect said connection, the lastnamed means being held from such movement by such thread if the latter is so advanced, and means to move said last-named means back through said path on each advance of the threads.

3. A detector controlling mechanism for a machine of the class described including supporting structure having a stop, a revoluble ratchet journaled on said structure and having a stop and a peripheral notch, means normally urging the ratchet in one rotative direction to engage its stop with the first stop, means to rotate the ratchet in the other direction including a refiO ciprocating pawl to engage the ratchet teeth, and a holding pawl having a tooth to engage the ratchet teeth and enter said notch, said pawls, on said tooth entering the notch, having coacting portions to engage each other and cause the second pawl to withdraw said tooth from said notch.

4. A detector mechanism for a machine of the class described including a stationary structure, a revoluble ratchet journaled on said structure and having a stop and a peripheral notch, a stopincluding member journaled on said structure concentric with the ratchet and having its stop engageable by the ratchet-stop, means normally urging the ratchet in one rotative direction to engage its stop with the other stop, means to rotate the ratchet in the other direction including a reciprocating pawl to engage the ratchet teeth, and a holding pawl having a tooth to engage the ratchet teeth and enter said notch, said pawls, on said tooth entering the notch, havingcoacting portions to engage each other and cause the second pawl to withdraw said tooth from said notch.

5. In combination, meansv to support a warp including a guide extending transversely of the warp, means to advance successively the threads of the warp along the guide having a driven element, a constantly going driving means having a disconnective connection with said element, and means normally urged to position to disconnect said connection on a failure of a thread of the warp to be so advanced but arranged to be wiped by such thread and to be held from such position by such thread if the latter is soadvanced.

6. In combination, means to support two warps including guides extending transversely of the respective warps, the threads of said warps, one from each, being adapted to be advanced in succession along theguides, means to unite each two threads so advanced having a driven element, a constantly going driving means having a disconnective connection with said element and movable means, controlled and adapted to be wiped by the advancing threads of one warp for controlling said connection.

7. Mechanism of the class described including, with a substantially horizontal guide, spaced means to hold a warp extended and bent around the guide one of which means is higher than and the other lateral of'the guide, and means to advance the threads of the warp laterally of themselves and along the guide, a feeler normally urged to move through the plane of advance of the portions of the threads which extend laterally from the guide and having such movement opposed by each such portion when advanced.

8. Mechanism of the class described including, with a substantially horizontal guide, spaced means to hold a warp extended and bent around the guideone of which means is higher than and the other lateral of the guide, driven means to advance the threads of the Warp laterally of themselves and along the guide, and means to drive the driven means having a disconnective connection therewith, means, controlled by the advancing threads and engageable with their portions which reach laterally from said guide, for controlling said connection.

9. Mechanism of the class described including, with a substantially horizontal guide, spaced means to hold a warp extended and bent around the guide one of which means is higher than and the other lateral of the guide, and means to advance the threads of the warp laterally of themselves and along the guide, a pivoted feeler normally urged to move through the plane of advance of the portions of the threads which extendlaterally from the guide and having such movement opposed by each such portion when advanced.

10. Mechanism of the class described including, with a substantially horizontal guide, spaced means to hold a warp extended and bent around the guide one of which means is higher than and the other lateral of the guide, driven means to advance the threads of the warp laterally of themselves and along the guides, and means to drive the driven means having a disconnective connection therewith, means, controlled by the advancing threads and including a pivoted feeler engageable with their portions which reach laterally from said guide, for controlling said connection.

11. Mechanism of the class described including, with. means to support a warp, a driven system including means to advance the threads of the warp, successively, means to drive said system having a disconnective connection therewith, and a movable controller for such connection, means to transmit motion to the controller actuable by said system and movable into and out of position to be actuated thereby, and means, controlled by the advancing threads, for controlling the position of the fourth-named means.

12. Mechanism of the class described including means to support a warp and maintain a predetermined index thread in each of the successive thread-groups of the warp segregated from the remaining threads in such group, means to impart advances to the threads successively of the entire warp-complement while maintaining the segregation, and means, controlled by the advancing index threads, movable to register failure of anysuch index thread to be advanced.

13. Mechanism of the class described including means to support a warp and maintain a predetermined index thread in each of the successivethread-groups of the warp segregated from the remaining threads in such group, a moving system including means to impart advances at given time intervals to the threads successively of the entire warp-complement while maintaining the segregation, and thread-feeling means movable into the paths of the advancing index threads at predetermined greater time intervals and having its movement controlled by said system.

14. Mechanism of the class described including means to support a warp and maintain a predetermined index thread in each of the successive thread-groups of a warp segregated from the remaining threads in such group, a driven system including means to impart advances to the threads successively of the entire warp-complement while maintaining the segregation, means to drive said system having a disconnective connection therewith, and means, controlled by the advancing index threads, for controlling said connection.

15. In combination, means to unite in succession the threads of two warps, means to advance the threads of each warp successively to the uniting means, means to guide the advancing threads to the uniting means, and means to register failure of a thread in one warp to be so advanced including a movable feeler engageable by the advancing threads of such warp and having a feeling portion extending posterior to the zone in which the threads are united.

16. In combination, means to unite in succession the threads of two warps, means to advance the threads of each warp successively to the uniting means, means to guide the advancing threads to the uniting means, and means to register failure of a thread in either warp to be so advanced including feelers engageable by the advancing threads of the respective warps relatively anterior to the zone in which the threads are united, one feeler having a. feeling portion extending posterior to said zone.

FREDERICK KLEIN. 

